Battle for Omoruyi’s estate gets messier

If the late Prof Omo Omoruyi is looking down from heavens, he will surely be unimpressed that his family members and his children are fighting over his estate. The reading of his Will, rather than lay the debate over his last wishes to rest, has polarised his family and torn his children further apart, reports Osagie Otabor

For the late former Director-General of the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS), Prof Omo Omoruyi, it is yet to be a peaceful rest. Over three months after his death his children and family are still squabbling over his legacy and properties.

Barely one week after Niger Delta Report told the tale of the bitter fight between his children, the head of the family, Owere Dickson Imasogie, said the late academic’s children were yet to perform the full funeral rites according to Bini tradition.

The remains of the late Prof Omoruyi was buried in November last year at the family residence he inherited from his late father, but disagreement among his four children have ensured that the traditional rites are yet to be concluded.

Prof. Omoruyi had four children; two sons, Osarenren and Karl, who were adopted from Guayana, a Caribbean country where his wife, Joan, hails and two daughters – Ivie and Amenze – which he had outside wedlock with a Bini woman. There is a no-love lost relationship between the two sets of children.

Our checks showed that his family members are divided, not only over whether the funeral rites have been performed or not, but which of the children to accept as legitimate members of the family.

Those backing the two daughters reasoned that but for the girls, their late brother would have been taken for a eunuch and moreover the girls have their DNA irrespective of whether they were born outside wedlock.

Other members are insisting that the mother of the girls was never married to Prof. Omoruyi and such only Joan should be recognised as the legitimate wife. They said Karl and Osarenren grew up with them, respect elders and truly manifest the character of their father.

The contents of the will supposedly left by Prof. Omoruyi has further deepened the rift between the family members. Some family members claimed the will is authentic while others alleged that the it was manipulated by some interested parties to claim properties willed to his wife and adopted boys because they (wife and children) may not return to Nigeria.

A cursory look at the Will showed that it was signed by late Omoruyi two weeks to his death and was registered on November 25, 2013, many days after the death of Prof. Omoruyi. Two witnesses to the will, Dr. Festus Imuetiyan and Nehikhare Iduozee were also beneficiaries apart from the children.

The two witnesses got plots of land along Sapele road, cars and all personal effects including publications of Prof. Omoruyi. Other beneficiaries are his wife, children and nephew identified as Eddy.

According to the Will in parts, Eddy got a building Omoruyi built for his mother, the daughters got a landed property acquired in 1977 and cash, his wife was said to own the building at GRA and his eldest son, Osarenren was given the building where Omoruyi was buried.

Owere Imasogie told the Nation in an interview that the wife was yet to be questioned by the family on the issues late Omoruyi raised in his book, “My Journey back to Life”.

Imasogie said late Omoruyi was only interred and yet to be given proper funeral rites according to the family pattern of burial in line with Bini custom.

He said a committee was set-up for the burial of Prof. Omoruyi against the advice of Chief David Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom that he (Imasogie) should preside over the family meetings before the burial.

According to him, “I read through the Nation newspaper on the fight for Prof. Omo Omoruyi property. I am not aware that the family met to discuss. It is possible for some of his younger brothers to dialogue but that is not the view of the family. Because of the controversy, they have only done the interment, the final burial ceremony has not been done.

“I am the head of Imasogie/Omoruyi family and I am occupying the family house. During the burial preparation, I called Dr. Festus who is the son of a woman in the family that I will not want Prof. Omoruyi to be buried in the family compound because of the controversy. Dr. Festus is not supposed to be heard in this family matter because he is related through a woman.”

On the Igiogbe given to Osarenren, Imasogie said the Igiogbe will not be given to somebody whose DNA does not correspond to the family. “It means he is an outsider. I am not quarreling with the adoption. If my cousin did not have children and he decided to adopt, fair, it is recognise. For a family property, an Igiogbe for that matter is for the family but held in trust by the first son.

“As far as I am concern, Karl or Osarenren adopted from Guayana cannot come and occupy a family property here. This we will leave to the court of law. They are trying to insult the Asuen family whose daughter gave birth to the two children we are now relying on. If the Asuen family has not given us their daughter maybe today, Prof. Omoruyi would have been taken for a eunuch. Happily before his death, he acknowledged those children.”

“Here is a paper he disown his wife and the children. If you read My Journey back to Life, it will buttress his marriage to Joan. He told us in the book that he did not rely on Joan and that the marriage broke down. Those fighting for the Guayana people to inherit the property of my late cousin are doing it for their own interest because they know Joan and the boys will never come back. Osarenren who is supposed to be the first son has not been to Nigeria for the past 25 years.”

“My brother told me he disown him and arrested him at the Heathrow Airport and (he) went back to the original parents. Karl is the child of the wife’s cousin. Those are things the law court will determine. If you were to be me, will you allow a foreigner to inherit the Igiogbe? They know what they collected from well-wishers for that burial. At the appropriate time, the family will ask them. We don’t drive people from the Igiogbe. That house belongs to Edo-Imasogie and the one I am staying. The first son is holding it in trust. The house is not Prof. Omoruyi’s. If he feels it is his, he cannot give it to a Guayana.

“That question on whether an adopted son can perform a burial rite for the father, if it were to be a Bini and we know where he comes from, we can allow him. We don’t bury by proxy. Osarenren that is supposed to be the first son did not come. Karl only followed the mother here. If you read through My Journey Back to Life, the family has questions for the wife. We have not had the opportunity of asking. With all these writings and the letter, somebody is telling me they settled. We have a right to know what happened. This we have not done. We will ask these question during the final burial rites. The case is in the court. He admitted those two children are his sons and the two solid ones are the daughters.”

Speaking on Prof. Omoruyi’s will, Imasogie who is one of those joined in the suit challenging its authenticity, said somebody who would benefit from a will could never be a witness to the will.

He said, “The will has defect. It was registered weeks after his death. I don’t know which lawyer filed it. Was it a dead person that spoke to the lawyer? We don’t hear from the dead. Have you heard from the dead? I don’t know what will happen to that will. That is not the will of my cousin. It is the writings of interested parties.”

Younger brother to late Omoruyi, Courage, said the daughters frowned at the committee set-up for their father’s burial and insisted that they have the money to bury their father.

Courage said there was a deliberate attempt to exclude the two biological daughters from participating in the burial despite arguments that the status of the marriage with their mother should not be an issue for discussion since the girls have their DNA.

According to him, “Imasogie is the current head of the Omoruyi family. This issue was dragged before the Esogban and he directed them to come to Imasogie for the burial plan. Along the line, a self-appointed burial committee emerged and an account was open for donation. Dr. Festus Imuetiyan appointed Nosa Omoruyi to preside over the burial. The daughters frowned at the attitude of begging money to bury their father. The children said they have money to bury their father. Whatever was paid into the account was not disclosed.”

Mr. Sunny Omoruyi however said they obeyed Omoruyi’s wish to be given a simple burial to be conducted by the Baptist Church where he (Omoruyi) was baptised.

Sunny challenged the girls to show proof of their mother’s marriage to late Omoruyi and displayed documents showing financial commitment of the adopted sons towards the burial.

He said Owere Imasogie was not the head of the family adding that the family already took a decision.

”Prof. said he should be buried in a Christian way. The family was present at the burial. I don’t know if there is other burial somebody else want to do. Professor has been buried.

“Before his demise, he said he has four children. He mentioned it based on seniority category. The daughters came up that they don’t have brothers. After the Will was read, the girls went to Professor house and carted away properties including cars. Police is on their trail now. I don’t know the reason they vandalised the properties. These are children that their mother was not legally or traditionally married.”

“I don’t know those saying they will not allow Osarenren to claim Igiogbe. They are not members of our family”, Sunny said, adding that the family’s decision is for the girls to accept the will.

Meanwhile, the family has petitioned Commissioner of Police, Foluso Adebanjo on the properties of late Omoruyi allegedly carted away by the two girls.